The question I get asked the most: “How the hell did you get in here?” The second most asked, “Are you going to clean that up?” Somewhere in those questions, though, is “Do you have any new music to recommend?” For that one, I always have an answer. That’s where Death Rattle comes in. I’m […]

I’ll admit to knowing next to nothing about Indonesia. I know that it’s beautiful (I’ve seen pictures and I love their action movies, so I’m sort of an expert) but I’m not here to talk about traveling, I’m here to talk about the proud and savage Jakarta natives, Tombstone. Coming in hot as a meteor […]

I have been a fan of Germany’s Deserted Fear and their brand of European-inspired melodic death metal since their great 2012 debut album – My Empire.  Their killer second album in 2014, Kingdom of Worms, is still my favorite by them.  Veins of Fire is their sixth album, and their last three albums have all […]

Deathcore duo Larcenia Roe got the deathcore scene’s attention back in 2023, with their self-titled EP, Dereliction. Especially the vocals of Ryan Vail, who made Lorna Shore‘s Will Ramos look like Hansi Kürsch. And indeed, there were immediate comparisons to Lorna Shore. However, Larcenia Roe‘s sound is much more of a grimier, beat down, and […]

Bludgeoned By Deformity is a new underground death metal kinda sorta supergroup with members in three different states.  Devin Swank (Sanguisugabogg, Tomb Sentinel, Earthburner, Immortal Torment, Ablation, ex-Limbsplitter), bassist Ethan Buttery (Jivebomb, Sinister Feeling), drummer Adam Jarvis (Pig Destroyer, Misery Index, End Reign, Fulgora, Lock Up, Scour), and guitarists Bradon Studebaker (Immortal Torment, ex-Rejoice) and […]

Welp, I had literally forgotten about Germany’s brutal death metal/slam band Pighead. It’s been 9 years since they released their 3rd album – Until All Flesh Decays. During that time, the original member, Denny H. (guitars), lost many members, to the extent that he had to put the band back together over the last several […]

Once upon a time, I thought of Melodic Death Metal as the Michael Bolton of the Metal community. It’s pretty, at times brutal as fuck; but ultimately one cancels out the other and it either sucks ass or kicks it. This is not the case with Greece’s Nightfall. I wasn’t expecting what I got from […]

I’m usually a little leery of bands that use the Kult, ‘K’ in their band moniker or album title. However, I also trust almost anything FDA Records puts out, so here we are. Nekrodeus hails from Austria and Ruaß (Austrian for ‘Soot’, but also a slang term for ‘rabble’ or ‘scum’) is their third album […]

When Morgoth ceased to exist following the shitty Feel Sorry for the Fanatic there was a hole left in the Death Metal community. They did reunite, albeit without vocalist Marc Grewe for the pretty good Ungod, but it wasn’t the same. It’s ok though because Leper Colony was formed to fill that sizeable void. As […]

Never question my commitment to metal. I wrote this review while sitting at my hotel desk while on vacation. Sure, the weather was awful, but I was at Maryland Death Fest, babe. And while my right wrist was annoyingly adorned with all the wristbands one could imagine, I wanted to make sure I conveyed the […]

Sweden’s Celtic-themed Melodic Death Metal stalwarts Eluveitie (“the Helvetian” in Etruscan) have been spreading joyful violence since 2002. Theirs is a train I jumped on right away, after doing my daily search for new Metal when I discovered Ven their fantastic EP from 2004. “Uis Elveti,” and “Your Gaulish War” became anthems for me, and […]

Swedish death metal super group Lik (‘corpse’) has been churning out solid Dismember meets Wolverine Blues area Entombed since 2015s, Mass Funeral Evocation and 2018 Carnage. But despite a lineup that features folks from Katatonia, The Resistance, Face Down, Kaamos and such, I feel like they never took that jump into Entrails levels of genre […]

I’ve been turned onto some killer bands since signing up for the Metalhead Box. One of the first shirts I received was a Tribunal one. So of course I wanted to know what they sounded like, and my expectations have been exceeded substantially. My stupid ass thought they are a Black Metal band interested in […]

Listen, I know. Even though they were founded first, Poland’s Hate sounds like Behemoth circa  Zos Kia Kultus, Demigod, Evangelion. I seen them be called ‘Wish’ Behemoth or ‘Temu’ Behemoth, but the fact is, I’ve ordered some pretty cool shit from Wish and Temu. And with the band’s 13th album that’s what you get- some […]

I should not like Sleep Token..  Thanks to my bastid friend, Graham (Deepsend Records), who recently sent me this band to check out as he had recently started to like this band.  He actually told me, “Frank, you’re probably not going to like this”.  Not only did I love this new album, Even In Arcadia […]

I knew nothing about Bavaria’s Drudensang. But the promo is listed ‘for fans of  Lunar Aurora, Abigor, Katharsis, Ascension, Nagelfar‘. And the band is comprised of current and former members of Mavorim, Atronos, Aphelium Aeternum and Belphegor. Im in. So Drudensang (loosely meaning ‘witch wail’ or ‘witch chant’), and Geysterzvvang (‘dark compulsion’) is a 6-song EP, […]

Face Yourself is finally signed to a label, having released three prior EPs. Now, their fourth one, Martyr, drops on Sumerian Records.  I have dubbed this deathcore act the ‘EP band’ and have reviewed a bunch of their prior releases. They really caused a stir with that debut s/t EP and the last song “Grosse […]

Listen, usually I spend the first part of my reviews wasting your time with introductory bullshit, back story, anecdotes, and general filler. Not for this one. Arizona’s Kardashev (named after a Russian astrophysicist who developed a theory for measuring a civilization’s level of technological advancement) is one on the most engaging and entralling new acts […]

Think about the last good Sword and Sandal movie, or game; it doesn’t matter when, just that you’ve ever seen one. For me, I think of Conan the Barbarian, Clash of the Titans; you get the idea. Elvenking live in a land of fantasy, where women randomly rise out of cobalt blue waters and dragons […]

After reforming after 18 years in 2020 and releasing one of the best reunion albums of recent memory with Cosmic World Mother, Finland’s enigmatic and genre-shifting…And Oceans wasted little time in releasing the follow-up, As In Gardens, So In Tombs, a mere 2 years later. And as I said in my review of As In […]

Welp, I had literally forgotten about Italy’s slamtastic drum machined Vulvectomy!  With three albums already under their belt, the last one being 12 years ago, I just kinda figured they packed up their slam sammiches and boogied on outta here.  Main man Mario Di Giambattista is still kicking it with his guitars and programmed drums, […]

This spring/summer, two mid-era Behemoth-inspired acts will be vying for your attention: the always reliable Hate, and this French death metal act and their third album, although I have not heard the first two self-released albums. But Transcending Obscurity saw enough to sign them, and that label usually does not miss. And they certainly have […]

Ghost Bath hath returned with Rose Thorn Necklace, which is my second favorite type. They went hard this time on those DSBM vocals, as the torture, not quite Silencer-level shrieks, can be heard throughout the first real track, “Rose Thorn Necklace.” What stands out immediately is the production, highlighting the guitars, front and center. It’s […]

Avast ye salty dogs, I have a tale to tell ya! It’s about a band of hearty fucking pirates, who have returned after an eight-fucking year hiatus! Must be nice, aye?! At any rate, ye can forget about Alestorm (even though they’re still technically Pirate Metal, they sound more like Party/Bro Metal at this point.) […]

I love gore. Not real gore, mind you; movie gore. The scene from Gates to Hell when the woman vomits her intestines, you know that sort of thing. Haemorrhage hail from beautiful Spain and they love gore as well, they also love Carcass and it’s evident on this five tracker. It’s not just Carcass, though. […]